Alberta is holding course to eliminate electronic vote tabulators in upcoming municipal elections.
The UCP have been called conspiracy theorists for the initiative — however, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver reminded Albertans on Thursday that he cares about election integrity.
"Some people have said they're unhappy with the fact that tabulators won't be used in the next election," said McIver during a speech at the Alberta Municipalities Spring Leader’s Caucus.
"For us, it's about the confidence in the vote the day after the election, and that's still what's most important. And I'll just say, you already know this, but we've been running elections for over 100 years without tabulators, and people had confidence in the results."
McIver said the next federal election will be run without tabulators, "and we'll all believe the results and get on with it."
There are myriad concerns with electronic vote tabulators, often called conspiracy theories by the political left, who have shamed the UCP for the change.
One theory suggests that electronic vote tabulators could be pre-programmed to favor a specific party or candidate, or even "flip" votes from one candidate to another during tabulation. This idea gained traction in Alberta around the 2023 provincial election, with claims circulating on social media that machines could manipulate results undetectably.
Critics of this theory point out that Alberta’s tabulators process hand-marked paper ballots, which are preserved for manual recounts if needed, and that pre-election testing ensures accuracy.
Another theory is that electronic tabulators could be hacked or remotely controlled to alter election outcomes. Some have speculated that modems within the machines (used for transmitting results in some jurisdictions) might allow external actors to interfere.
A related concern is that electronic tabulation reduces transparency by allegedly enabling the immediate destruction of ballots, preventing verification. This theory was referenced in a 2023 letter from lawyer Leighton Grey to Elections Alberta, where he argued that machine-counted ballots in past Calgary municipal elections were destroyed, thwarting appeals.
"And you know what matters about this? I don't want anybody after the next municipal election to say about you, that they don't trust the results, so they don't have to listen to the bylaws that you pass," said McIver.
"The fact is, I want people to say, that is my legitimately elected municipal council that have the legitimate authority to make bylaws under which I must live, and I'm going to abide by that because I trust that my legitimately elected municipal council is legitimately elected."
Some Albertans believe the use of tabulators inherently impugns the integrity and reliability of elections. This theory suggests a deliberate plot by election officials or political entities to obscure true voter intent.
A milder but persistent theory is that electronic tabulators lack adequate oversight, with insufficient auditing to ensure accuracy. Posts on X from 2023 called for random audits and full hand counts, implying that without such measures, results could be manipulated.
While Elections Alberta conducts pre and post-election logic and accuracy tests, it does not perform statistical risk-limiting audits — a best practice in some U.S. states — which fuels skepticism among conspiracy proponents.
Alberta's plan to remove electronic vote tabulators stems from the passage of Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, enacted in May 2024. The legislation bans the use of automated voting equipment, such as electronic tabulators, in municipal elections across the province, mandating that all ballots be counted by hand starting with the next municipal elections.
Alberta's next municipal elections are in October.